BDF Gestion Raises Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• BDF Gestion increased its investment in Meta Platforms, owning 51,602 shares after a 9.4% stake lift, making it Meta's fourth-largest position in its portfolio, valued at approximately $38 million.
• CEO Mark Zuckerberg and insider Christopher K. Cox recently sold substantial shares of Meta, with Zuckerberg selling 15,847 shares and Cox selling 60,000 shares, reflecting a significant decrease in their positions.
• Meta Platforms has reported strong financial performance, exceeding earnings estimates with $7.14 EPS for the last quarter, along with a quarterly revenue of $47.52 billion, up 21.6% from the previous year.

BDF Gestion lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,602 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,413 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up about 4.3% of BDF Gestion's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. BDF Gestion's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $38,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pachira Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.0% in the second quarter. Pachira Investments Inc. now owns 488 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $360,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. ABLE Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC now owns 2,136 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,251,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Shelton Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.9% in the second quarter. Shelton Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,764 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,302,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Cedar Point Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 2.2% in the first quarter. Cedar Point Capital Partners LLC now owns 752 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, IAM Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.9% in the second quarter. IAM Advisory LLC now owns 1,844 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,361,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 15,847 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $753.43, for a total value of $11,939,605.21. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 60,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $775.95, for a total transaction of $46,557,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 237,205 shares in the company, valued at $184,059,219.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 256,886 shares of company stock worth $195,693,600. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.7%

NASDAQ:META opened at $765.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $747.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $667.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 1.97. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The firm has a market cap of $1.92 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The social networking company reported $7.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $1.39. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 39.99% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The company had revenue of $47.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $44.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.16 EPS. Meta Platforms's quarterly revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Meta Platforms has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 22nd. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $840.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Roth Capital raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $620.00 to $740.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $640.00 to $810.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $826.05.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.

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